Any story with such a magnificent title is worth reading for sure. Doubly so if Mark Waid, one of the most consistently great writers in the DC Universe. Triply so if, once you get past the title and the credits, the first splash page depicts a huge scroll which reads The JLA hereby elects SANTA CLAUS to membership for life with all privileges and gratuities including the wearing of the signal watch and possession of the golden key which permits entry into the Watchtower, its library and souvenir room. Before you get all to that, even, the cover of JLA #60 from 2002 by Waid and Cliff Rathburn depicts Santa Claus engaged in deadly battle with Neron, a long time DC villain and emperor of the underworld. If this all sounds like a little beyond the pale even for the frequently ridiculous world of superhero comics, well, that's because none of it is really happening. Or is it...? Nah, probably not. The framing narrative for Merry Christmas, Justice League Now Die! is that second string JLA member Plastic Man (like Mr Fantastic with a sense of humour) visits his pal Woozy and Woozys sister and nephew, the latter of whom needs convincing that Father Christmas does so exist. Which he does by, er, recounting the time he kicked a supervillain's ass, obviously.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
